2015 Western Alfalfa & Forage Symposium will be held in Reno, Nevada on December 2-4 at the Silver Legacy Hotel, with a focus on water, irrigation, pest management and economics.

This is a great opportunity to learn more about alfalfa and other forage crops, and to visit with farmers, scientists, experts in various fields. Eleven Western States have joined forces this year to plan the Symposium. The event will be managed by the California Alfalfa & Forage Association (Sacramento, CA). Typically between 500 and 700 people attend.

Of all of the insecticides evaluated against blue alfalfa aphid (BAA) by Eric Natwick of Imperial County, almost every insecticide applied to alfalfa this spring gave initial knockdown of BAA. Blue alfalfa aphid populations resurged in 7-10 days. Treatments giving 70–75% control (reported by PCA’s) were combinations of a pyrethroid with an organophosphate.

Possible factors for our BAA issue:

High initial aphid populations

Smaller than expected populations of predators and parasites; particularly the seven-spotted lady beetle